Peach Blossom

Description: During the Heian Period (794¨C1191), the Japanese nobility sought to emulate many practices from China,[citation needed] including the social phenomenon of flower viewing (hanami: »¨ÒŠ), where the imperial households, poets, singers, and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, cherry trees were planted and... ( +expand to view full text )

Description: During the Heian Period (794¨C1191), the Japanese nobility sought to emulate many practices from China,[citation needed] including the social phenomenon of flower viewing (hanami: »¨ÒŠ), where the imperial households, poets, singers, and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, cherry trees were planted and cultivated for their beauty, for the adornment of the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto, at least as early as 794.[3] In China, the ume "plum" tree (actually a species of apricot) was held in highest regard, but by the middle of the ninth century, the sakura had replaced the plum as the favored species in Japan.